Archive for the ‘recipes’ Category

Yesterday dawned cold and rainy. I’m not complaining. I actually enjoy a cold and rainy day on occasion. And I really enjoy delicious aromas emanating from my crock pot on a cold and rainy day. So yesterday I decided to make my Taco Soup to which my children squealed “Yummy!” Being the Facebook lover that I am, of course I felt it necessary to update my status with the coming arrival of said Taco Soup.

It seems that a lot of my Facebook Friends also enjoy a good Taco Soup and several have since asked me for the recipe. So here it is. It was as good as always, as easy as always, and even garnered a recipe request from Magnolia. How can you go wrong?

Chicken Taco Soup

1 onion, chopped
1 16-ounce can chili beans
1 15-ounce can black beans
1 15-ounce can whole kernel corn, drained
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 can or bottle of beer
2 10-ounce cans diced tomatoes with green chiles (I usually use Rotel), undrained
1 package taco seasoning
3 whole, skinless, boneless chicken breasts
shredded Cheddar cheese
sour cream
crushed tortilla chips or Fritos

Put the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer and diced tomatoes in the slow cooker. This is the toughest part of the recipe. Opening all the cans. Add the taco seasoning and stir. Lay the chicken breasts on top of the mixture and slightly press down until they are just covered. Cook on Low heat for 5 hours.

Serve with lots of cheese, crushed chips and sour cream.

Easy and delicious. Enjoy!

The Grits girl… if you’ve been in a store somewhere in the South, particularly one that sells to tourists, you’ll have seen a a T-shirt or some other product about being a GRIT girl. Girls Raised in the South.  I just love the book, The Grits Guide to Life. It’s a very funny & informative guide to being Southern and being a Grit. I particularly like when they point out that if you weren’t born in the South, you can still be a Grit… a Girl Refined in the South. I guess that’s me.

The book is full of Grit Wisdom. The first one deals with grits themselves… the food, not the women.

Grits Pearl of Wisdom #1

Grits are eaten with butter, gravy or cheese – never sugar.

I used to really, really dislike grits. I didn’t really understand the fascination with grits or anyone’s desire to consume them. They looked like, and tasted like, bland mush. I realize now that a Belle’s love of grits will definitely be influenced by the maker of the grits. I’ve had really bad grits, and I’ve had absolutely yummy grits. The yummy grits generally have tons of butter, cheese and probably garlic. For some reason when I was expecting (Magnolia absolutely does not approve of the word “pregnant”) my daughter, I began to crave grits. I don’t know why. Maybe being pregnant expecting a real, live Southern Belle influenced my taste buds. Whatever the reason, I now really like grits, if they are good.

Here’s a recipe from the Grits book.

Cheesy Grits Casserole

1 cup grits, quick or regular
1/2 cup margarine
3 eggs, beaten
2/3 cup sweet milk
1/2 pound cheddar cheese
1/2 pound fried bacon, crumbled

Cook grits according to package instructions. Add margarine to hot grits and stir until melted.  Add cheese and stir. Combine eggs with milk and stir into grits. Add crumbled bacon. Pout into greased 2-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle extra cheese on top if you desire. Bake 30 to 40 minutes at 325° until mixture is set and light browned. The center is the last to cook.  Yields 8-12 servings.

Sounds really low in calories, doesn’t it? But I guess the calories is what makes them taste good.

Do you have a family recipe for grits you’d like to share?  I’m on the search for the best grits recipe!

My sweet and thoughtful friend Tanya (yes, the same amazing Belle from the Holy Alphabet post) just stopped by on this cold and rainy day with a warm loaf of Amish Friendship Bread and a starter for me. The starter is for four new loaves. We will definitely be enjoying our Friendship bread tonight with the delicious Sausage and Barley Soup I have in the Crock Pot. If that turns out as yummy as it smells, I’ll put up the recipe tomorrow. It’s a cold, raw day here and I can’t wait to dig into a lovely loaf of bread from the hands of my beautiful friend and a bowl of belly-warming soup.

Amish Friendship Bread

Important Notes: 

DO NOT use any type of metal spoon or bowl for mixing.

If air gets into the bag, let it out.

It is normal for the batter to rise, bubble and ferment.

DAY 1  Do nothing. This is the date your starter was begun.

DAY 2  Mush the bag.

DAY 3  Mush the bag.

DAY 4  Mush the bag.

DAY 5  Mush the bag.

DAY 6  Add to the bag 1 cup plain flour, 1 cup milk, and 1 cup of sugar. Mush the bag.

DAY 7  Mush the bag.

DAY 8  Mush the bag.

DAY 9  Mush the bag.

DAY 10 It is time to bake! Follow the directions below.

1. Pour entire contents of bag into a nonmetal mixing bowl.

2. Add 1 1/2 cups plain flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar, and 1 1/2 cups milk. Mix well.

3. Measure out 4 separate batters of 1 cup each into 4 one-gallon Ziploc bags. Keep one for yourself and share the other three with your most beautiful friends (I might have embellished this part a little!) along with these directions. Make sure to write the date on the bag. This will be the first day for the starter.

4. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

5.  To the remaining batter in the bowl, add:

      3 eggs                       3/4 cup oil                            1 lg box of instant vanilla pudding

      3/4 cup milk             3/4 cup sugar                       1/2 tsp baking soda 

       2 tsp cinnamon       1/2 tsp vanilla                      1 1/2 tsp baking powder

       1/2 tsp salt               2 cups plain flour

6.  Grease two loaf pans and mix an additional 1/2 cup sugar and 1 Tbsp cinnamon. Dust the bottom of the greased pans with half of this mixture.

7.  Pour batter evenly into two pans and sprinkle with remaining sugar mix.

8.  Bake for one hour. Cool until bread loosens from pan, about 10 minutes. (Cupcakes – bake about 25 minutes, mini-loaf pans about 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean).

I started to write this and then realized that if you don’t have the starter bag from a friend, this is really meaningless. So after a not very exhaustive search of the internet, I found what I believe are the ingredients for the starter bag.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 cup white sugar, divided
• 1 cup milk

DIRECTIONS

Go make yourself some Amish Friendship Bread and pass it along to the beautiful Belles in your life!

One of the things that Magnolia makes and knows I love is Dig Deep Salad. I’ve heard it called 7-layer salad too but we call it Dig Deep. It has so many things in it that I really like so I eat it happily and try to ignore what I think is the calorie content. Like most good things, I don’t think it’s very low in calories.

And that reminds me of when Paula Deen was on Oprah last year. Did you see it? She was making something appropriately yummy-looking and Oprah asked her if it was healthy. Dear Miss Dean just looked at her and said “I’m your chef, not your doctor!” Love her! If you didn’t see that episode of Oprah, it was a classic. Miss Dean had something in the blender and her and Oprah were peering down in there when Paula started it up. Unfortunately she didn’t have the top on tight or have it on at all (I can’t remember) and the stuff in the blender sprayed up all over both of them. Oprah had on this gorgeous leather jacket and it was covered in food. Like any good Belle, Paula Deen wasn’t going to let it get her down and  just died laughing. I don’t think Oprah thought it was as funny but you just have to love Paula Deen! Thankfully I have a DVR and I just watched it over and over again. Priceless!!! Anyway…

Here is Magnolia’s recipe for Dig Deep Salad.

Dig Deep Salad

1 small head of lettuce, shredded
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 onion thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 pkg. frozen peas, cooked, drained and cooled (my favorite part!)
1/4 cup sugar
6 oz shredded cheddar cheese
8 strips bacon, fried crisp
2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
1 1/4 cup mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip). A true Belle does not use Miracle Whip.

Layer in glass bowl.

1) Shredded lettuce – place half in bowl
2) Blend mayonnaise and 1/8 cup sugar. Spread half over the lettuce.
3) Add onion slices. Sprinkle with half of sugar (1/8 cup).
4) Add celery, green pepper, egg and cheese.
5) Add remaining lettuce and cover with remaining mayonnaise/sugar mixture.
6) Top with green peas and crumbled bacon.

Chill at least two hours. Dig Deep when serving.

Yum!

My husband loves meatloaf. I guess it is a true comfort food and the leftovers make great sandwiches. I’ve been trying to find the perfect meatloaf without success. So I decided to come up with my own. We had it Friday night with homemade mac and cheese and the whole family gave it a thumbs up. It has a yummy glaze on the top that gives it a slightly sweet taste. The kids totally loved it! Here it is:

Susanne’s Meatloaf

2 lbs ground beef
2 eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 pkg onion soup mix
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 pinches nutmeg
1 Tbl Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease the pan. You can use a loaf pan but I prefer just to “form” a loaf and cook in a baking dish.

Soak the bread crumbs in the milk in a small dish. In a big mixing bowl, combine together everything else except the brown sugar and ketchup. You have to use your hands or it just doesn’t taste the same. Add in the bread crumb mixture. Shape your loaf and put in the baking dish. Mix together the brown sugar and ketchup and put on the top of the loaf as a glaze.

Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven.

Pretty easy and turned out absolutely delicious! Next time I’ll make more because there weren’t any leftovers for sandwiches. Let me know how you like it!

It’s a cold, rainy day here in Greenville and I woke up dreaming about chicken and dumplings. I make mine in the slow cooker and it’s easy and delicious. You can probably change this up as needed but it’s pretty good the way it is here. I can smell it now wafting throughout our home and can’t wait to dig in later tonight!

Chicken and Dumplings

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 Tbl butter
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 onion, diced
1 package Onion Soup Mix
Chicken Stock
2 packages refrigerated biscuit dough, torn or cut into pieces
1 package frozen mixed vegetables (if desired)

Place the chicken, butter, soups, onion and soup mix in slow cooker and add chicken stock until it’s all covered. Cover and cook on High for 5 hours. Add dough and vegetables. Cook until the dough is cooked, about 1 more hour.

We usually add the vegetables which definitely makes it more of a meal and gives the children some veggies. You can use any kind of biscuit dough or use the croissant dough which is easier to tear into flat pieces.

It smells divine and it’s a snap to throw into the cooker in the morning. I love my crock pot! Happy Eating!

I didn’t grow up learning to cook. My mom had Multiple Sclerosis while I was a child and physically wasn’t able to do much cooking. Beyond that, I’m not sure she was actually a good cook. I spent years telling everyone, including my husband, that I hated to cook. That was until I actually started to try it and realized that I love to cook! Imagine that! I’ll never forget the first time I improvised a recipe (either due to lack of an ingredient or just plain inspiration) and my sweetie said “Now you’re a cook.”  I think I still am (fingers crossed that no one will contradict me on that one!).

There was one thing my mom actually did make and it was yummy. It was pretty much the only thing she ever brought to holiday dinners and thanks to my sister, I have the recipe. With Easter coming soon, I thought it might be a good time to share it.

24-Hour Fruit Salad

1 20-ounce can pineapple chunks (juice pack)
3 slightly beaten egg yolks
2 Tbl sugar
1 Tbl butter
1 1/2 cups tiny marshmallows (isn’t everything just better with marshmallows?)
2 cans mandarin oranges, drained (or 2 oranges, peeled, sectioned and drained – the first one is easier)
1 cup seedless grapes
1 can dark cherries, drained & rinsed well or you will have a purple salad
1/2 cup whipping cream

Drain pineapples, reserving 1/4 cup juice. For the custard, in a small heavy saucepan combine reserved juice, egg yolks, sugar and butter. Cook and stir over low heat about 6 minutes or till mixture thickens slightly and coats a metal spoon. Don’t burn them! You have to babysit the custard while it’s cooking. Cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, in a bowl combine pineapples, marshmallows, oranges and grapes. Whip cream till soft peaks form. Fold into the custard. Pour over the fruit and mix gently. Transfer everything to a pretty serving bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 4-24 hours. Stir gently before serving. Makes 8 side-dish servings.

We’ve tried to cut down on the “refrigerator” time but it is a fruitless effort (pun intended). It doesn’t turn out the same at all and if you’re going to use this recipe, I insist that it be exactly like I remember! Enjoy!!!

Southerners do love their pecans. There is a running debate on the proper way to say pecan in the South. All I can say is in my husband’s family, they say “puh – con” with the emphasis on the second syllable. I know Paula Deen has her own version but she’s from Georgia and adorable, so I’m forgiving her. We love pecan pie and Magnolia makes a wonderful one. If I can coax the recipe out of her, I’ll put it up another day. For now, here are two wonderful pecans recipes courtesy of my sister-in-law, another beautiful and wonderful Belle.

Spiced Pecans

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 Tbl butter
1 tsp cinnamon
3 cups whole pecans

Mix sugar, water, butter, & cinnamon in a saucepan. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil. When mixture starts to boil, cook exactly 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour in pecans & stir quickly until all syrup is absorbed. Pour onto waxed paper. Cool & serve.

Peppered Pecans

1 stick of butter
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 cup pecan halves
salt & cayenne pepper to taste

Melt butter in baking pan and add Worcestershire sauce. Mix well. Add pecan halves and stir well. Place in 250 degree oven and bake slowly, stirring every few minutes until pecans have absorbed all the liquid. Remove from oven and sprinkle with salt & cayenne pepper. Stir.

Now I’m hungry. Off to find some pecans.